Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Out
of all of the books I’ve written, this is the one. The one that earned me the contract with The
Gernert Company, the one that prompted meetings with a Simon & Schuster
editor, the one that sparks the most feelings, and the one that will stay with
you long after the last page. This is my
literary pride and joy – my magnum opus.

Politics
is one of those touchy subjects that can be easier to avoid than handle
delicately, yet it has always fascinated me.
So two and a half years ago, when I started writing Escaping Insanity, I
set the story in the middle of a Presidential campaign. At the time, I couldn’t have predicted the
circus we now find ourselves in, but artistically all of this drama works in my
favor.

Still,
there’s so much more to Escaping Insanity than the political story-line. In fact, politics isn’t even the most taboo
topic I explore. Because this novel also
exposes the prejudices we have toward people with mental health disorders, and
illuminates the stigma they face just trying to live their lives.

Escaping
Insanity doesn’t advance the cause of either political party, but instead
campaigns for truth, logic, and the greater good. That’s a winning ticket we should all rally
around. The themes of love, forgiveness,
accountability, and hope are the true backbone of this book, and those are
completely bipartisan.

Saturday, October 8, 2016

In
May of 2015, I was signed as an author by The Gernert Company literary agency
in New York. Among other notable clients, The Gernert
Company represents fiction industry leader John Grisham.

So, as you can see, I was very optimistic when they pitched my
novel Escaping Insanity to ten
editors of big-name publishing imprints.
Ultimately, we received nine responses essentially saying, “I love this,
but it’s not for me,” and then one response of, “I’m interested in making
an offer on this novel,” from a Simon&Schuster editor who met my agent for
drinks to discuss her interest in my book.
The manuscript was then forwarded along to the Editor-in-Chief for a
final approval that we never received, possibly because the editor who wanted
to purchase Escaping Insanity left her
position there to become a talent scout with a competing literary agency. It was a tremendous disappointment to say the
least.

At
that juncture, my agent decided we should turn our attention to novel number
four, East of Oz, and for the next ten
months, drafts, suggestions, and revisions were passed back and forth. The novel was ultimately read and sharpened by
the majority of the staff at The Gernert Company. Finally, late this summer, East of Oz was polished and ready to go,
but my agent surprisingly decided not to pitch it to a single editor, because –
in the deciding opinion of publishers – there is no longer a market for “light”
commercial fiction, unless it’s coming from a well-established household name
like Nicholas Sparks. Readers, editors
say, want dark, edgy, scandalous, and shocking, not unlike moviegoers and
television viewers. And these gate-keeping editors of New York publishing don’t want to see something by a
first-time author if it isn’t those things.

Well,
I’ve decided to stand my ground, the middle ground you could call it, between
unbelievably prudish and recklessly indecent.
And with the agency’s blessing I’ll be offering these two novels
directly to readers through Amazon. I
would rather reach fewer people with nourishing prose than poison the masses
with more literary pollution. Bad is not
the new good, villains are not the new heroes, and each purchase and online
review made by you – the consumer – sends a clear message to the people
controlling all media venues that there is still an audience for exciting,
humorous, even heartbreaking stories that focus on the triumph of the human
spirit, the resilience of hope, and the beauty of becoming a better person. I hope you all find the time to read East of Oz and leave me a review. Not only will you have hours of
entertainment, you’ll also be a part of a grass roots movement to bring back
moral restraint in mainstream media! "Who will go with me?!" - Jerry Maguire.